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Teen ‘feared she would die’ after reaction to hair dye

Schoolgirl Chloe Robins feared she was going to die after a hair dye she used for a fancy dress party disfigured her face so badly she says she was left looking like the Elephant Man.

Aspiring model Chloe, 14, struggled to breathe, was unable to see properly and was violently sick when her head and neck swelled to twice their normal size.

The allergic reaction was caused by a well-known brand of semi-permanent hair dye Chloe used to turn her hair black for a Halloween party.

Chloe’s mum Joanna even oversaw a patch and strand test for her daughter to check it was safe days before they dyed her hair together.

But as the spooky party got under way, Chloe became more and more disfigured and was rushed to Southampton General Hospital.

Now Chloe and her mum, who live in Swaythling, have called for beauty bosses to ban hair dye chemical PPD (para-phenylenediamine) from the shelves.

The pair have spoken out to warn other mothers and teenagers about the dangers of dyeing hair.

Chloe, still sore and scarred from the dye, said: “I bought it because I was dressing up as a zombie and I thought it would be fine. Mum did the test and there was no reaction so we put it on my hair.”

The Cantell School pupil added: “But it got worse and worse. My head started itching like crazy, then I got a horrible rash on my head then it turned to swelling and was spreading. I couldn’t breathe properly. I was sick and I was so scared. I thought I was going to die over a hair dye.

“It made me look so different.

My face is really round like a plate and my eyes look like a frog. It’s like the Elephant Man.”

Mum Joanna, 42, added: “Chloe will be affected for life and her career as a model could be ruined. It was as if every pore in her head was oozing yellow pus and her hair was like she’d poured glue on it. It was disgusting to see her swell up like that. We didn’t even recognize her.

“People need to know what PPD is. I have done research on the Internet and seen other people with this. Had something been done about it, my daughter might not have been through this. Take it straight off the shelves now – that’s my message – because next time the next person might not be so lucky as my daughter.”

Manchester-based solicitor Greg Almond has launched a national campaign to ban the hair dye chemical PPD which has so far gained more than 100 signatures.

He said MPs backing the campaign had tabled two parliamentary questions on the issue to be heard in the House of Commons on Monday.